Head of HR Operations: Payroll, Tech & Benefits

Dessert Holdings; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 170,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental & Vision

Retirement Plan

Job summary

Dessert Holdings, a leading premium dessert company, seeks a Director of HR Operations to oversee payroll, HRIS, benefits, and compensation administration across North America. You will lead a team of Payroll and HRIS professionals, optimize UKG/HRIS systems, and partner with HR and Finance to enhance the employee experience.

Based in St. Paul, MN, you will drive data-driven decisions, manage vendor relationships, and ensure compliance while delivering an exceptional employee experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Finance, IS, or related field.
• 8+ years in progressive HR operations, payroll, HRIS, or related leadership experience.
• 5+ years of people leadership in HR operations, payroll, or HR tech teams.
• Experience leading payroll and benefits administration in multi-location environments (US & Canada).
• Proven success implementing or optimizing HRIS and payroll systems across multiple sites.
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, HR operations, data governance, and compliance requirements.
• Experience using workforce analytics and reporting to drive business decisions.
• Excellent project management, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong communication and influencing abilities with technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead HR Operations, including payroll, HRIS, benefits administration, compensation administration, compliance, and employee data management.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for payroll operations across North American locations (US & Canada).
• Manage and develop a team of Payroll and HRIS professionals; foster service-oriented culture and continuous improvement.
• Serve as business owner for HR technology platforms (UKG, Alchemy, Acquire).
• Drive ongoing optimization and adoption of HR systems across all sites.
• Lead HR systems integrations, upgrades, configuration changes, and vendor relationships.
• Partner with HR, Finance, IT, and Operations to streamline processes and employee experience.
• Develop and maintain HR metrics, dashboards, and workforce analytics.
• Ensure data integrity, reporting accuracy, and compliance with regulations.
• Identify and implement process improvements, automation, standardization, and efficiency across HR.
• Be a key member of the HR Leadership Team to support organizational objectives.
• Lead change management for HR technology, process improvements, and growth initiatives.

Skills

HR operations

Payroll

HRIS

Benefits administration

People analytics

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Information Systems, or related field

Tools

UKG Payroll & HRIS

Alchemy LMS

Acquire ATS

Job description

Dessert Holdings, a leading premium dessert company, seeks a Director of HR Operations to oversee payroll, HRIS, benefits, and compensation administration across North America. You will lead a team of Payroll and HRIS professionals, optimize UKG/HRIS systems, and partner with HR and Finance to enhance the employee experience.

Based in St. Paul, MN, you will drive data-driven decisions, manage vendor relationships, and ensure compliance while delivering an exceptional employee experience.